A brown box on the doorstep… Aafia Siddiqui’s suffering enclosed

Unexpected postage is a cause for caution when your Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s family

This is the true story of a Brown Box. An ordinary cardboard box. Not too big, not too small. Nothing special. It was the kind of an everyday box used to package every thing from priceless objects to toilet paper.

A few months ago, I came home one evening to find this box waiting at my front door. It was odd. I had not ordered anything by mail and was not expecting any other delivery. Unfortunately, these days, finding an unexpected box is more cause for fear than curious excitement.

But then I noticed on the side it had printed in large writing a name and a number in one of the best examples of penmanship I have seen in years. The name was one I recognized. I was momentarily paralyzed. How or why would someone send this package to me.

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I took the Box inside and did not know what to do with it. I was both apprehensive and curious. I checked with lawyers and friends. But for some time I just let it sit there in the entry way in my home and every day when I came home the box stared at me and I knew I wanted to open it. I mention this dilemma this only to illustrate how the events of the past 6 ½ years have shaped our lives and how routine, simple actions can become a complex ordeal filled with suspicion, apprehension, anxiety and anticipation all rolled into one.

A decision is made – Open it

Getting back to the box. Finally, one day I decided to open the box. Nothing special or auspicious about the day. Just another day but it seemed that it was time. With camera and video in witness, the tape sealing the box was cut and the lids carefully opened.

Inside the box the contents were sloppily thrown in – a marked contrast to the neatness of the handwriting that adorned the front of the box. Surely different people must have handled the contents and the labeling. No one could be both that rash and sensitive at the same time.

As I slowly removed the contents, one by one, my hands trembled. There were two folded white scarves, several envelopes, writing pads with half written thoughts as if the pads were snatched in mid sentence. There were letters from people from as far afield as Australia and Hawaii, from Pakistan and Arkansas. And there were partially written letters to people who would now never get them even though the stamps were right there. And incomplete poems for which we would not know the ending. There were articles from magazines carefully clipped to highlight what? It would not be known. In the middle of this there was a Quran thrown in the pile. It had been meticulously tagged by its reader who would no longer be able to use these references.

The rest of the box contained items of food – from tea bags to cookies, sealed fish and snacks. Sustenance no longer destined for the person who stored it.

I went through the items carefully at first, almost scientifically, as if handling a lost treasure, cataloging what I found. But soon, as the items became personal, the reality of what I had in my hands hit me – and it hit hard.

A realization strikes home

You see the box had come from Carswell Medical Center in Fort Worth Texas and the name on the side was that of my sister Aafia, # 90279-054

This box contained all that remained of the worldly belongings of Aafia’s life. This is what she accumulated during the 8 months at the institution known as the “House of Horrors”. It hit me that without warning, one day someone took her away. She had no time to complete tasks, letters, consume a special treat or send a last letter. All her belongings, both of her scarves and her beloved Quran were all left behind.

She was strip searched naked and taken away with nothing but her body.

And I was reminded of what it must be like to die. All the things that are left undone. The things we think we will finish the next moment or the next day. The favorite clothes, the favorite book, the favorite meal. In the end when they take you, it is you alone they take.

For a while, I could think of nothing else. And then I realized that for Aafia, this was probably just another case of dé jà vu.

Back in March 2003, Aafia had her whole life snatched away when she and her three young children were summarily disappeared from the streets of Karachi. How must that have felt? You lose the “things” most precious to you – even more precious than your own life? – Your children, the youngest only 6 months old.

We don’t know much of what Aafia endured between then and when she suddenly emerged in Ghazni in July last year. But there again, she was shot and everything in her possession taken from her – and for a second time she lost her son – a son whom she was not sure was even alive anymore and had been reunited with only a short time earlier – and who did not recognize her as his mother.

A lesson on life, death and time

So you see, Aafia has experienced the feeling of “death” over and over again. No wonder she says they have “killed” me. Every time they “transfer” her, it is akin to dying. Only she is forced to wake up and the nightmare continues. So, I wonder – is God a sadist that He puts Aafia through this agony over and over again? When is it enough? Or is this all a lesson for others to see?

I used to think Aafia meant the phrase “killed me” in a metaphorical sense but now I see it as a much more physical expression. Just imagine how many times this may have happened over the years of her captivity when we have witnessed it at least three times in the “open” non-secret captivity of the past year. And there is the brown box that testifies to it.

Yes, back to the Brown Box. Because the story does not end here. That Box stayed in the entry, contents placed back inside. Then one day I saw the box and thought of the Pharaohs and how they built Pyramids to carefully store the contents of the world that they would take with them on the journey beyond death. How meticulous the exterior architecture but equally haphazard the interior chambers and the storing of the food… clothes… ornaments…

So too the brown box – simple clean exterior with meticulous writing and an interior haphazardly packed with the tools of life.

But there was a difference – a big difference between the pyramids of the pharaohs and the Brown Box of Aafia. The one was planned. The other reflects reality of how life ends abruptly. In reality, even the Pharaohs would have had a brown box that collected their daily unfinished business because while they could prepare for death, they could not predict its time.

By now the Brown Box was becoming an eyesore in the entry and the kids were asking too many questions so I took it up to the attic to store it. Here it found company among many other brown boxes that contained pieces of my life, forgotten memories and material possessions that I had not seen in years and probably will not even remember until and if I see them again. But I hang on to them as if they and I will someday re-live the “good old days.”

And it struck me that I had dozens of brown boxes and they only filled the forgotten pieces of my life and here was Aafia’s one Brown box that was now representative of her entire life. But she is alive so she will accumulate more “stuff”. But how many more times will these be taken away? How many more deaths? How many more Brown boxes?

I left the Brown Box in the Attic but had trouble sleeping until one morning I woke up and brought it back down and placed it in my study – out of the way but in full view of where I sit every day. You see, I could not just put away Aafia’s life in the Attic and let it become another forgotten piece of my life. I have to see it every day because my sister is in my thoughts every day and as long as she is alive the Brown Box will be waiting so she may complete those letters, those poems and drink that tea.

So, for now, the story remains incomplete, waiting for an ending… with a prayer that God will make it a happy one.

Wow, interesting story. But it’s not always easy to know fact from fiction. Many times it’s hard to be objective when a Muslim is involved or when people we hardly know give us their sides of the story. Very difficult to comment meaningfully in such conditions.

Allah Knows her situation Best. May Allah Give sister Aafia what she deserves.

We should not say that Allah give me what we deserve because if our deeds where the only thing on the scale then we all deserve to go to hellfire.

It will be Allah’s mercy that will help us reach Jannah. Deeds are important but they are not the end.to all. It is better to pray that May Allah give the sister patience and help her in her suffering.

Secondly why you troll on all the threads so much like the one of Tarek.

Yes, it is Allah’s Mercy that will make us reach Jannah (all of us, Insha’Allah). I never denied that. Allah has chosen for this to happen and so we are deserving of it. Saying we’re not deserving of it questions Allah’s decision to grant us His Mercy. So watch out and wisely steer away from such reasoning.

You say itâ€™s very difficult to content meaningfully â€“ why so many comments if you are finding it so difficult to find meaning?

You have been very emotional about others being emotional in this thread – I think you need a nice cool glass of water filled with ice ;-)

Joking aside, I think the truth of the situation is that you cannot bring yourself to support Sister Aafia because you have doubts about her innocence but are afraid to explicitly state this and so are more content with wallowing in the ambiguities of the case then trying to present or discuss facts. Your disparaging first post is a perfect example of this â€“ tell me brother, what part of the above story is fiction?

May Allah bless Sister Aafia with His Mercy and make it easier for her. Ameen.

What on earth is wrong with you Khan? Non-Muslims proudly support YOUR sister in islaam and you’re questioning her innocence. How can MM allow people like you to comment and delete comments that stand in defence of our oppressed brethren.

May Allah Give all of us what we deserve. Nothing is wrong with that statement from an Islamic standpoint, so relax.

Don’t misinterpret me. I never said I’m happy with the sister’s difficult situation if this is what you’ve misconstrued from my statement. I am not “questioning her innocence” as you allege. Deriving incorrect interpretations from my statements, then making false conclusions with a misplaced display of emotions is imprudent and a waste of your and my time. Confirm the correct understanding of others first before deciding to react, or else people will wonder what’s wrong with you.

When I don’t know much at all about a situation, I think it’s foolish to take a side, especially since some personal ex-husband matters are clearly involved that you and I know very little about. It is best to leave such matters to Allah rather than speculate and press the “support” button knee-jerk style as we so commonly do nowadays. Such an attitude is counterproductive and weakens our cause. I’ve learned to become more prudent before saying anything about a situation that I know very little about. And yes, this includes Muslims. The fact is that we have bad apples among us (like Muslim extremists and other quick-fix Muslims), and so it’s best to be careful about who we choose to support. It is irrelevant if non-Muslims or Muslims are supporting them. I’m interested in the facts. We need to use our mind more and control our emotions no matter how hard it is.

It is best to say “I don’t know”, as many of our beloved `ulema have said when it is appropriate.
Because I know little, I say again: I leave this matter to Allah. May Allah Give Justice in this matter from the knowledge that He Knows Best. Aaameen.

Mohammed Khan, do you have a mother or a sister or an aunt? Maybe a wife? Any female relation?

Can you imagine — just for a moment — what it would be like to have your mother or sister or aunt or wife in a such a situation?

Imagine that some woman you knew and loved was in Aafia’s situation. Imagine that she was abducted, her children taken away from her. Imagine that she was shot, and then not given medical treatment. Imagine that for years, she was locked up, repeatedly tortured and raped. And all the while you didn’t know where she was or what had happened to her.

(May Allah protect those around you and the Muslims everywhere — I would never wish this on anyone — but just imagine.)

Would you really care whether or not this female relation of yours may or may not be “guilty” of something? Would you still tell people — “Oh wait, don’t support my mother. We don’t know the facts. May Allah give my mother what she deserves.”

Would you ever make such a statement? “May Allah give my mother what she deserves, and nothing is wrong with that statement from an Islamic standpoint, so relax.”

I hope not.

And instead, wouldn’t you want her out of that situation as soon as possible? Forget whether or not she was guilty! Wouldn’t you say, “Get her out of that prison where she cannot properly practice Islam. Stop subjecting her to strip searches and humiliation. Have mercy on her.”

And then imagine that you knew she was innocent.

Would you still tell people: Don’t get emotional over what happened to my mother, my sister, my wife? Don’t “speculate and press the ‘support’ button knee-jerk style as we so commonly do nowadays.” Don’t get emotional about what’s happening to my sister, my aunt, my mother (or, dare I say it, my brother).

What is wrong with being emotional in such situations? Are we supposed to suppress our emotions, and not have gheera over the situation of the Muslims? Shouldn’t the default be knee-jerk style support reactions? They’re our brothers and sisters — the bond of Islam between is so much greater even than the bond of blood. They deserve our support, they deserve — by default — for us to assume that they’re innocent.

“Why did not the believing men and the believing women, when you heard it, think well of their own people, and say: This is an evident falsehood?” [24:12]

Leaving certain things up to Allah is necessary, yes. But if you or anyone you knew were in a difficult situation, would you really just tell people to relax, to not get involved? Be complacent, leave it up to Allah?

Every time one of our brothers or sisters is imprisoned, it’s time for us to react and support them. And every time we fail to do so, we are harming ourselves, and subjecting more and more people to false allegations, imprisonment and abuse.

You’re overreacting. I’m not going to “imagine” anything. I think with facts and steer away from uncertainty, period. Yes, had she been my family member, I would’ve obviously reacted differently because I would’ve known her and her situation. But I’m sorry, sister Aafia is not my family member and I don’t know her or her story. Saying that I did would make me a liar and make my defense of her situation premature, at best.

I choose to be safe and say: May Allah Do what He Wills as He Knows Best. This is the way of precaution and safety for someone who doesn’t know the facts well enough. When I said Allah Give sister Aafia what she deserves, it shouldn’t be misconstrued as being negative. It’s not negative and I’m certainly not implying that she’s guilty, to make it clear. If you had asked me, you would have known. Your assumptions were false and your reaction was misplaced.

No, I don’t support every Muslim who is imprisoned. That would be ridiculous because I don’t know why they’re there to begin with. Again, Allah Knows Best.

Using your logic, why don’t you support al-Qa’eda members who are imprisoned? Why don’t you support Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri? After all, they are Muslims … and who knows … All the negative things we hear about them may be a conspiracy against our “brothers”. After all, can you prove it’s not? If not, why do you oppose them? Shouldn’t you think best of your fellow Muslims and make du’a for Osama bin Laden? Why single out other Muslims for sympathy and not him?

Assalaamu alaikum brother I think you do have a point as far as the terrorism support stuff goes. However, I think it goes without saying; but obviously must be said, we are concerned with the condescending tone and the lack of compassion for their hurt. Once again we all will be responsible for our actions (shudders at the thought thinking of the harms I have done) on judgment day.

Please be kind to those in Islam and if their is nothing nice or if it must be condescending please don’t say it as it causes an already hurt Ummah to divide even more. Allah knows we need to all stay together InshaAllah for this world is ugly. May Allah bless you Salaam Alaikum

Mohammed, the point of the “imagine this” exercise was not to exaggerate or to blur the lines between reality and speculation. Rather, it was in reference to the hadith of the Messenger salla Allahu alayhi wassalam, “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.â€ And when I imagine myself in the situation of these brothers or sisters, I know this — I would love for them to assume innocence, and to lend their unreserved support. So I try to do the same for them.

Also, I do make du’aa for all the Muslim prisoners. How many of our brothers were imprisoned, accused, tortured — only to be released because there was nothing there. Unless there is established evidence that they have done something wrong, then I assume they are innocent (is there another understanding to “innocent until proven guilty”?).

I understand your point. But I wasn’t trying to be condescending to sister Aafia at all. Mine is a position of uncertainty and that’s why I said I leave the matter to Allah.

I think well of my brothers and sisters but within healthy boundaries. I don’t defend anyone until I know a bit more, but my hope is that all Muslims in these situations are genuinely innocent, even when I don’t know all the facts. I never said otherwise. This is my hope for sister Aafia as well. But Allah Knows Best the reality of the situation, and this doesn’t change no matter how we feel.

Wait, so you still consider Osama bin Laden innocent until proven guilty??

I’m sorry but you have misunderstood the whole point of my previous post. Try to read into another Muslim’s statements more positively, or at least ask me what I meant. Yours was a knee-jerk reaction that was unnecessary.

There are various posts to help everyone get familiarized with the case.

I do agree with you in one regard: we should not simply jump to someone’s defense simply because the person is a Muslim. As we all know, there are good Muslims and bad Muslims in the world, just like any other religion-bearers.

However, in the case of Dr. Aafia, the facts available make it very clear to the unbiased person, that this is a case of a government witch-hunt gone really, really bad. I spoke to people close to the case as well when I was myself looking into this for my post sometime back. And really, there are people who have joined in defense of the sister, who wouldn’t touch a terrorism case with a yardstick otherwise.

Finally, what makes this case even more painful is that it involves a sister in Islam, a woman, who deserves compassion, and her three children. Can you imagine not knowing where the other two are (only one has been “found”)? There is no bigger injustice than being stripped of your own children and not knowing whether they are dead or alive.

May Allah free her from the injustice, reward her immensely for her patience and trials, and return ALL her children to her in safety. May Allah punish every single individual involved in framing her.

I wish that just ONCE you had made du’a that sister Aafia is not being subject to rape. Instead you’re too concerned with the logic of the situation. Let’s leave the question of her guilt to the lawmakers and focus on ensuring that she isn’t being subject to torture. In short, let’s increase our humanity.

I did make du’a for sister Aafia but you chose to ignore them because you, like many others, are being blinded by your emotions and opinions on the matter. Allah protect her from all bad and unjust things, as with all of us, and guide all of us on the Right Path. Aaaameeen.

I was not being negative, condescending, or saying anything bad at all. Only a misinterpretation of my statements would lead to such a conclusion. Because I don’t know all the facts, I leave it to Allah — that’s all I was saying. But some Muslims here prefer to ignore the correct interpretation and stick with their distorted understanding. May Allah Guide them.

Well I apologize if I have judged you wrongly then. It’s hard, I guess online without facial expressions to “convey” messages at times and when it is a “touchy” subject and things are said they sound very condescending and rude but I am not Allah either so Allah forgive me for being judgmental of those I assumed through my self were being judgmental.

It’s just depressing to me to love Islam so much as to see so much constant negativity in Muslims (not here or this specifically but everyday) guess I just want to “fix” it but only Allah can do so.

I guess this was my reminder to my self through this blog and the comments

I understand your concern and masha’Allah you are a good example for all of us. I appreciate it.

I don’t know why Muslims are so quick to choose the incorrect interpretation of another Muslim’s statements. They should ask what one means by their statements before assuming and jumping to incorrect conclusions.

These reactive Muslims even attempt to justify their behavior by saying that Islam allows emotions. But what if emotions cloud the truth of another Muslim’s words and lead to incorrect accusations against him? Their emotional exaggeration is clear. Only Allah can Guide them.

Asaalaamu Alaikum my fellow Muslim Naeem is this comment going to benefit the Muslim Ummah? Will it get you a reward or benefit you on judgment day? Is it related to the hardship or the article? Is it something you would want for yourself? (these helped me when online)

Further more, I stand in my firm opinion if those of you who do not like MM then simply don’t read it InshaAllah.

Very touching article – may Allah relieve the distress that our sister and her family is facing.

I would hope that the author rephrase the line that questions the wisdom of Allah – while I’m sure he intended nothing but good, that phrasing is not appropriate.

Indeed, Allah chooses people to put through tests, and those whom He chooses have the patience to bear it, for no one is tested with more than s/he can bear. Such people are rewarded infinitely more those who do not have to face such tests, as Allah says, ‘Those who are patient will be given their reward without any count.’

I never understood her story…never got solid wisdom out of it…and it always bothers me b/c I don’t see how it could be viewed as a test. I can only see it as a punishment.

Why would Allah allow a Muslim woman who apparently cares about Islam to be mercilessly raped so many times?! That too by pharoah-ic kuffars and in the name of the stupid ‘WAR ON TERROR’?!

From what I understand, Allah protects the chastity of good Muslim women even in the worst of situations. Wasn’t the hand of the king of Egypt paralyzed when he tried to Sarah (ra)?

Ever since I read her story I sometimes get thoughts like what’s the point of wearing hijab and protecting your chastity if you could potentially be raped and robbed of your most prized traits (i.e. purity and virginity) at some point in ur life?

Does Allah only protect women who are 100% pure like Maryam (ra), Sarah (ra), Aisha (ra), etc. And not regular Muslim women like sr. Aafia and the rest of us?

I burst into tears the very first time I read the details of her case and find it very disturbing Its like you can never rely on your good deeds in bad times! :(

I think the brother’s point was…Summayyah’s (ra) awrah attacked by a kafir man…much like Sr. Aafia’s awrah might have been attacked by kafirs while she was raped. A Muslim woman’s sense of dignity is lost, or at least affected, in both cases. Wallahu Alim.

My dear sister in Islam life is VERY, very; very hard; with many terrible events. Some call them tests, I used to say “My pencil broke I can’t take tests”.

I don’t think Allah “tests” us so much as the fact that we were sadly given “free will” When we clearly can’t manage it. So many abuse it, the rest of us are prey to it and the devil loves it!

The Shaytan is our avowed enemy and causes peoples free will to do unmentionable things to others :(

Only with Allah do hearts find rest…I say that not as a Muslimah who has had no trials but as one who just came to Islam Alhamdulilah. As one who tried to flee Islam, after all; depression, anger, hatred, evil sharp words, and vices are easier to live with than actually working to be a better person through lifes most terrible situations. I was a good person all my life and I felt that it was abused and stripped from me through the tests of life. I had this whole screw -this-I-donâ€™t-give-a-crap phony mentality that is so popular right now. Itâ€™s so easy to let others stupidity bring us to their level of anger as well. The Shaytan preys on us and sadly I found myself, as others do, leaving the only thing that could help me…God

Alhamdulilah it hit me one Day only through Him do hearts find peace. Not This “Him” other Muslims would want you too have. But the REAL Islam. The one with no Flaws Allahs words to us his precious love and blessings That I pray you and Aafia’s Family can find InshaAllah. Not Cultural Islam, Not biased Islam, not Islam that defends the wrong and acts as haraam police, but Islam that lifts the soul and soothes a broken heart ready to be re made through Him Allah.

I leave you with Allah’s words that Helped me, literally made me a new person.

Allah SWT said in Al Qurâ€™an 89:27-28

“To the righteous soul will be said: Oh soul, in complete rest and satisfaction come back to your Lord! Well pleased yourself & well pleasing unto him! Enter YOU into My heaven”

Other words of his immense Mercy and love for us that might help any of my hurting Muslim sisters and brothers and anyone who might want to accept Islam into you’re life InshaAllah

“When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me” (Quran 2:186)

“Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering.” (Quran 27:62)

Please feel free to message me for a private “talk” if you are down I’d hate to know one of my sisters in Islam is hurting when maybe I could at least offer a non judgmental ear, after all I can’t get to heaven on judgment day if I don’t want for you like I do for my self.

have we forgotten Asiya the wife of fir’awn??? we can imagine now how ppl at her time of torture must have been divided into similar camps…………the true believers knowing that Allah was just raising her level in paradise while the weaker ppl doubting the wisdom of Allah and then the hypporicrites warning the rest of the believers not to become to active in their support of Musa alayhissalam or his religion………..etc…….

Allahul Musta’aan………
Allah only tests those whom He loves………….and the eternal life is the hereafter where all this pain will be forgotten …………except for the extra uncountable rewards that were gained due to it……….as their is a hadeeth………….cant remember exact wording…………..hope someone can post it………….
when the ppl see the rewards of those who were put to such severe tests ………they will wish they had gone through such and had not had such an easy life……………

we cannot comprehend this except with a very high level of Eman that is why the most severely tested are the prophets then those after them in Eman etc.

I can verify the truthfulness of this story. I have seen this box and tripped over it several times before it found its current home in the study. The box has a presence that is hard to define.

I have heard the question the children asked. The children even asked me some of those questions.

Being in the same room as this box is the closest that I have been to Aafia since she disappeared. It was a reminder of the friend I had given up for dead years ago. You cannot imagine what it is like to have the dead return.

And to have her return the way she did. If Edgar Allan Poe, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn sat down together to write an episode of “The Twilight Zone” they could not have come up with Aafia’s story.

So Mohammed, you can sit there and make innuendos all night long about how we can’t judge the reliability of people we don’t know. Difficult to comment on this? You didn’t seem to have any difficulty.

Naeem, you can laugh all you want. The truth of this story remains.

I have seen this box, held it in my hand, and stubbed my toes on it to the delight of the toddler-in-residence.

I never said others don’t know Aafia and the veracity of what she’s going through. You are entitled to your experiences and opinions that, no doubt, differ from mine because you know her. I commend you for your thoughts.

On the other hand, I neither know sister Aafia, her ex-husband, or you, and so cannot comment on the matter with certainty. Any practical person wouldn’t unless he/she knew the situation well enough. This is something sensible people should appreciate.

If you know the situation well enough, you shouldn’t assume that others do as well, and therefore shouldn’t expect others to feel or react in the same way. But that’s exactly what you’re doing. And this is why your innuendo against me in defense of sister Aafia becomes completely meaningless.

But you’re surely reacting this way because you obviously feel strong about sister Aafia. Emotions can cloud sensible thinking in such circumstances, and so I don’t blame you.

“Ruining” this thread because it differs from your opinion? Well, this place is not just for the opinion you agree with. Others can voice different opinions and views as well, just as I did. Learn toleration.

By ruining, I mean responding to each and everyone’s comment, even if its not addressed to you using the same old rhetoric ‘thats not what it means’, ‘chill out’, ‘relax’ etc. It has been done before on the Tarek Mehana thread, and its been done again on this thread.

Another thing, when you say tolerance, don’t you think that includes yourself? As I already stated, there seems to be some sort of obsession with responding to each and everyone’s comments, implying that they should not judge on emotions etc. If that is not intolerance towards others feelings, well I will leave it at that then.

You can make your point in a few paragraphs if necessary, but to come back and refute everyone individually, with the same points over and over again, is just too much.

Everyone has a different approach in such environments. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ rule here even though you’re entitled to such thoughts. Just as you can’t expect everyone to agree with your opinion, you can’t expect everyone to use your approach either. If it’s “too much” for you, it’s not necessarily too much for others. Commentators in the politics (Imran Khan) thread can testify to that. This is an environment where such diversity is expected, even if you disagree, and so imposing a standard opinion or format of communication is unwarranted. You are welcome not to read my comments. Nobody has imposed that you should.

Regarding toleration, I don’t tolerate opinions and conclusions based on warped readings of my statements. No sensible person would. Because I disagree with your opinion doesn’t mean I’m intolerant, as you claim. Your mistake is equating your view with tolerance, which is a distortion of fact. With this definition, all who differ with your views become intolerant while those who agree with your views are tolerant. See the absurdity?

I am tolerant of all opinions — not just mine — even if I disagree with them. This defintion of tolerance disagrees with yours but is more true to its dictionary meaning.

I appreciate your thoughts but I have my own opinion and approach, just as you have yours.

I was reading your comments and sorry to say but I find you as a very arrogant person who does not at all want to follow the way of Prophet (peace be upon him). You say that you will not support any muslim unless you know the facts. You mean if you hear anything wrong about muslim even from a fasiq then that maybe right so you wont support. You will not assume that maybe wrong even after that sister gave you proof from Quran that you should by default assume that they are innocent and stand by their side.

“Why did not the believing men and the believing women, when you heard it, think well of their own people, and say: This is an evident falsehood?” [24:12]

I am expecting a rude reply from you as you have been doing to other people on this forum. I am against terrorism and killing innocents but the people who are blamed never get a chance to explain their side of the story. It has always been suspects. Even with OBL etc, are you 100% sure that they did this terrible 9/11. What about other proofs given in documentary (loose change). I just dont get you and will never get people like you. You are going to stand infront of ALLAH so say something good about your brothers or just keep your mouth closed. I will advice others here to follow Quran and fear Allah and when you meet with Ignorant people just ignore. I have nothing against you except that I find your comments very disgusting and untolerable.

Thanks for your thoughts. I don’t mind different opinions but I do mind when someone misinterprets my statements or starts attacking me instead of my argument.

Admittedly my response to Andrew Purcell was harsh. But his ad hominem attack and distortion of my opinion required such a response from me. It is not at all about being “arrogant” as you claim, but to clarify my opinion that has been distorted with impunity. Such distortions are frequently generated by highly intense emotions and by desires of ‘winning the crowd’ attitudes that shift people’s minds away from rational thinking to emotional mud-slinging.

In this regard, MM undoubtedly fulfills a very strong psychological-social (PS) function with many of the articles it chooses to publish. It demonstrates that many Muslims in MM crave support and belonging – a sort of cheerleading/gang mentality – that makes it legitimate for Muslims to twist statements, meanings, and conclusions to fill in their PS void. Filling in such voids is no doubt important, but crosses Islamic bounds when done at the expense of truth. Not all Muslims here are of this sort, but many unfortunately are.

Regarding Muslims, it is always my hope that they are innocent in such stories. I never said otherwise. But hoping they are innocent doesn’t mean they are innocent. Sometimes they’re not.

While thinking well of Muslims and hoping they are innocent, we shouldn’t close our eyes to reality either. There are bad apples among us who unfortunately do despicable things in Islam’s name: the zealot fringe of the Pakistani Taliban, the minority fringe that rejoiced after the 9/11 attacks (irrespective of who did the attacks), Mir Aimal Kanzi’s actions in America, the burning and destruction of property and life as a response to the Danish cartoons, and Osama bin Laden’s (OBL) behavior that Islam strictly forbids. Responding to injustice with injustice is against the Qur’an and Sunnah. Allah and our beloved Prophet (peace & blessings upon him) have made this crystal clear.

For those Muslims who still harbor doubts about OBL, read what his own son and wife recently wrote in “Growing Up Bin Laden”. Omar bin Laden (son) and Najwa bin Laden (wife) make the facts crystal clear beyond any shadow of a doubt. Now, we can call OBL’s own son and wife a bunch of filthy liars and partners-to-conspiracy against Islam, as many emotional Muslims who “cry innocence” in MM probably would. But we can also be pragmatic and steer ourselves away from such exaggeration by saying: “Yes, OBL is guilty for his unIslamic behavior, and we as upright Muslims repudiate it.”

This response of mine will probably been seen as “arrogant”, “rude”, and “against Islam” as well. But this is their choice. They can read the facts or cling to their binary view of the world of good versus evil. My objective is not to win the crowd with my opinions. I only wish to win the clarity of my opinions to others. Whether they agree or not is their perogative.

This is a very sad situation, but I agree with Sheikh Yasir Qadhi that the phrase about Allah’s wisdom is wrong, I was actually shocked more and re-read the phrase thinking its some typo. The brother must be very distraught.

Bad thoughts are only from shaytaan, and make things worse, so we need to think good of our Creator as it is Him we need and get our sustenance from…Seek help and solace in Him for verily He is All-Hearing All-Knowing..

“Or is this all a lesson for others to see?” Is the line that followed. I can not imagine the either the tests that Sr. Aafia has endured or that of her family who loves her… I am sure it was a rhetorical question only… Still I believe her brother would do well to reword as he Sheikh recommended.

Let us not lose the focus of the article. Our sister is in a terrible distress and needs at least our Du’ah.

Which brings to something I have noticed here and on other sites as well, why would anyone make the following du’ah “Oh Allah, give so & so what they deserve?” When everyone of us wants Allah to forgive us and over look our sins and mistakes. This is especially disturbing when we admonish one another about think good of your Muslim brother and wanting for them what we want for ourselves.

Oh, Allah forgive us ALL and guide us to what is best! Free the oppressed and increase our patience and reward those that turn to you in prayer and patience!

Allah gives all of us what we deserve. This is mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Let’s not overreact and misconstrue my statements. I simply meant that I had little knowledge of the situation, and so I left it fully to Allah. Of course: Allah have mercy on all of us and forgive us. Whatever Allah Wills is what we deserve.

Ameen! I hope I don’t get what I deserve either! I know Allah is a just, merciful, and loving God Alhamdulilah thats what brought me to Islam. InshaAllah May he make me Even better than what i am or look to be.

Your story supports my position. There are details and contradictory aspects in this situation that make it premature (at least for me) to take a stand on the matter. Allah Knows Best about the truth and so it’s best to leave it to Him. It’s more convenient to be emotional but, at the end of the day, it carries little weight if you don’t know the facts with certainty.

I say: Allah Help us all and keep us strong and dedicated on the Right Path.
(Did I say something wrong, again, oh emotional Muslims?)

In regards to Dr. Aafia’s husband and his credibility on the issue consider this quote (from the article “antiextremist submitted”):

“He added that Dr Fowzia had similarly threatened him several years ago by taking a picture of Aafia while she was asleep after she injured her upper lip (by a milk bottle)â€ in an accident. Dr Fowzia warned Amjad that if he tried to divorce Aafia, she would use the picture against him alleging him to be an abusive husband. â€œIt was made to appear in the picture that Aafia was badly injured. Today, the same picture is being circulated in the media to claim that Aafia was tortured for years in Bagram,â€ he revealed.”

Now consider the video here of the Governor of Ghazni confirming via video the pictures of Aafia in Afghan custody that the husband claims are faked to discredit him!

And this video here of Ahmed Aafia’s son freaking out and visibly scared (I don’t speak Urdu) when he saw his father for the 1st time since returning from Afghanistan.

I think it is fair to say that the husband has some explaining to do… and that his credibility is lost.

Assalaamu Alaikum my heart aches for her family, and children who have too suffer over this extreme and depressing hardship. May Allah bestow his mercy on you InshaAllah.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Asalaamu Alaikum with all due respect to everyone who wrote comments, and I mean this as a person Who LOVES Islam from the bottom of my heart.

When a savage, catastrophic; monstrous event happens to people they question a Lot of things. Sometimes even why God allows them when he gave us “free will”. Others even God (some through thee hurt, others a weakness, others because they do not yet “know” Allah and his love and compassion.

When the author “questioned” the wisdom of Allah, This is how the person “felt”.

We can’t tell people how to think. Even the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him was told off by a grieving mother to “get lost” and he knew not to tell her how too feel Alhamdulilah. Eventually she came to Allah like many of us hurting souls have in our own ways.

I think the Author did not mean it too curse God (AstagfiruAlllah) but Honestly I can’t wait for the day when Muslims stop fighting other Muslims being judgmental, argumentative, rude, hostile, culturally biased., misinformed, defend the wrong and forget the wronged…

InshaAllah soon we will know why Allah in all his Knowledge gave us free will to do and behave the way we do.

+ On another side note-

As a reminder to me and the rest of us our tongues, hearts, minds, eyes, hands will all testify on judgment day against us and what we do. Hurts we cause, arguments we start so if there is nothing nice to say, or you don’t like something or someone than pray to Allah; like I did for myself, to help you. Don’t go to the sites or internet if you don’t like the authors or the message and InshaAllah you won’t be so angry and hurtful(I used to have a hard time “arguing, filthy online language etc especially against Islam bashers) But that really put it in perspective for me.

Hate mail gladly accepted if someone has something to say or if I have offended anyone lets not bring it here where it seems to be attracting drama lately.

Ameen to the du’as about Allah (awj) guiding all of us to the straight path. Since you mentioned that you did not have all the facts yourself and that the situation was uncertain in your view, it would have been best if you had stayed silent.

In order to enlighten yourself regarding the case from journalists who have been on the ground and know the situation first-hand, please check the news story below by the well-known journalist Sister Yvonne Ridley. Sr. Yvonne was one of the first to raise the case of Sr. Aafia (may Allah free her), even before Aafia’s alleged “capture” in that half-baked story released by the US military. And by the way, Sister Yvonne Ridley has referenced her facts and provided eyewitness accounts in her balanced article.

Also, the following fatwa from Allamah Ibn Jibreen (rahimahullah) makes clear the importance of freeing Muslim prisoners captured by the kuffaar:

Is it permissible to ransom Muslim prisoners using zakaah money?
Is ransoming Muslim prisoners using zakaah money included in the phrase (interpretation of the meaning): â€œand to free the captivesâ€ [al-Tawbah 9:60]?

Praise be to Allaah.

Ransoming Muslim prisoners who have been captured by kaafirs is better than freeing slaves, so it is included and indeed takes priority, because they suffer great harm by being separated from their families and because of the humiliation and torture. So saving them is even more important than saving slaves.

I think in forums like these which are open to the world; muslims should understand their duty and not urgue amongst themselves. It potrays a very negative image to an outsider and this is the very evil the west is trying to encourage amongst muslims. Sometimes our arguements also have no evidence but are pure whimsical thoughts… we were taught by many great ones that islam is a religion of “naqal not aaqal” meaning you must see your trusted elders and copy them and not think too much and bring in your intellect everywhere. saves a lot of time and questions and arguments. in this case also i think we should believe what we hear from our elders and follow their stance.

Not everything must be debated and a right and wrong side seen. I think what Sister Aafia needs from us is strong support and dua’s. So we need not quarrel but pray that Allah help her and her family in this crisis and accept her sacrifice and through her sacrfice unite muslims in their cause.

There is nothing, absolutely NOTHING a Muslim woman, or any woman for that matter, could do to deserve even a fraction of this horrendous treatment. THAT is the bottom line. THAT is the grave injustice done by these people who are worse than animals.

Whether some facts are distorted or misconstrued is irrelevant to the above and should not even be mentioned since it is minuscule in comparison to the injustice done to the sister.

Amin…so True-I agree with you 100% even murderers get to go to jail, get “treated right” a place to sleep and visits from their families. This is atrocious! It is not something she or anyone should have to go through. May Allah protect her and give her safety and freedom

thanks for the links. i had heard the rumor that her ex turned her in, and then i saw his interview and it makes absolutely no sense at all. if the woman is violent and extremist, you divorce to save yourself but leave your 3 young helpless children with her??? something’s not right with that story. the pictures are worth a thousand words in this case. kudos to yvonne ridley for using her field to be champion for justice.

to people who like to remain ‘neutral’ until they’ve been made privy to the case files, if she committed an obvious crime then why wasn’t she charged and brought to court right away? the fact that she has been tortured and abused in shady places, torn away from her family, is something that deserves our sympathy and prayers. you cannot commit any crime to justify that sort of punishment.

i don’t know her but the minute she said the shahada she is my sister in islam. that is all the ‘facts’ i need to know. i hope and pray that she is proven innocent and reunited with her family to get the help and support she needs. and i ask Allah a.w.j to keep us safe.

I think Mohammed is a positive contributor to MM, despite my disagreements with him (past and present). He pushes others to justify their positions and think. Having someone like him helps avoid groupthink, which is not healthy for a blog. It is okay to disagree in a respectful manner (which Mohammed is almost always), and try to present your arguments. If at some point, you think you are done with arguing with him or anyone else, just stop (lesson for myself too), and let the audience decide for themselves.

MK: Sometimes I do think you go on a tangent and want to argue that tangent to death, while missing the point of the total post… so blogging provides many lessons (we all continue to learn new lessons), and it will help you identify your audience and sharpen your skills of winning the audience to your POV. Btw, you aren’t a lawyer by any chance?? :)

Thank you, brother, for your nice words and etiquette in spite of our usual disagreements on many posts. I normally comment on politics, as you know, and I am genuinely interested in having sensible and unemotional discussions. It’s easy to be emotional but more difficult to give sensible reasons for one’s argument. Unfortunately I see many Muslims doing just that on this threat. I respect all opinions even if I don’t agree with them. I feel that Muslims on this thread have clearly overreacted to my words, and have chosen not to listen to my reasoning, but opt for their misinterpretation instead. This is their choice for which they will have to deal with the burden later. The insults are horrendous and completely unIslamic from some people. It’s surprising they think it’s spiritually legitimate.

Sorry, I didn’t answer one of your questions. I am not a lawyer but I could have been one because I enjoy thinking, making a case, and debating. People may not agree with everything I say and I don’t expect them to. Anyone who expects everyone to agree with their view is naive and arrogant.

I think one of the reasons why our Ummah is suffering is because we love to cheerlead and think less critically. We are quick to react emotionally and take a position without knowing the facts, which, in my view, contributes to weakening the intellectual capacity of our Ummah and our long-term advancement.

This is the supreme irony: while some Muslims long for a strong Ummah and our days of glory that were robbed from us, these Muslims express themselves in ways that are counterproductive and make our goal more difficult to achieve. MM has touched upon this before. This Muslim cheerleading extravaganza has to stop so we can channel that energy towards using our brains to achieve at least some of our lost glory.

In view of the above, it is clear why politics is overall discussed less in MM and why emotional stories are discussed much more.The former requires more critical thinking which is incovenient while the latter allows one to express oneself mainly emotionally.

This is the real problem of our Ummah that the cheerleading squad has to come to terms with. We are content to think less and react more.

Surely I will get a barage of insults because of these thoughts. But this only adds strength to the view I set out to prove.

In my opinion Mohammed Khan is one of the straight thinkers of all the commenters I see on these articles. Albeit, he often does need to learn just to let things go once in a while. People overcome with passion are not always easy to convince with logic or reason.

Having said that may Allaah make things easy for all the oppressed brothers and sisters everywhere.

While the court of law will decide Aafia’s innocence or guilt; circumstances indicate there is a sympathy or connection to terrorists. People do not go to Kandhahar and Kabul on vacation. hers is anothere xample where we take advantage of the comfort and freedoms provided by this country; at the same time work against it.

FBI nabbed two brothers in Chicago airport the other day. Theyw ere just going to meet their handler.

MM should not publish these pro terrorist views. Obviously theer are many who think she is innocent. Let the courts decide it (We do not know what Alla’s court will decide; everybody seems very poistive about that! – will the guys who killed women and children in Peshwar be welcomed in Alllah’s court too?)

My recommendation is MM do not publish about pending cases. First of all, it does not affect the outcome; be it in the US court or in Allhah’s court. and second, with t all the surveillance going on, an innocent one on this blog may get arrested for investigation.

And I have my offer as I put out befor – Let us go back to Pakistan if we think the legal system is atrocious here.

Asalaamu Alaikum-I do have too agree with you on the fact that we shouldn’t get involved if we don’t know a situation-Especially when something as terrible as a “terrorist” claim(s) is made. However, I do have to say I hope this is not the case with her-AllahuAlim(God knows best)-but if so-May God not let that be, as I do NOT condone negative behaviors in the name of God-Who are we to think Allah needs our human help?! but I would hope a child would not be arrested, and I most certaintly would hope my Country I love would not participate in secretive torture of anyone especially women and children!

Also; I do stand on my position that while reading controversial, especially SAD; posts we shouldn’t be mean or judgemental in our comments. Not agreeing with something or liking it does not grant us the right to be mean, or rude about the posters feelings (Not adressing this to you but too all of us) We should never wish ill on anyone Muslim or not.

I fully agree with your perspective. It’s the same perspective as mine but you got it across better than I did to this emotional MM crowd. It seems odd that many MM Muslims take a side in a case they know little or nothing about. I call this the ‘cheerleading mentality’ that we must rid ourselves from. Just because those arrested or taken are Muslim, they feel it is sufficient reason to support them.

But what if a Muslim was genuinely involved in terrorism and violated the law of the State in which he/she lived, and there was clear evidence for it? Do we still raise our protest banners against the US government because the person is a Muslim, or do we say: “This Muslim got what he/she deserved because he/she knowingly broke the law of the country (even if it’s the US) in which he/she resided.” The sensible person will know what approach to take. The emotional Muslim will use the same unhealthy ‘either-or’ mentality to support a guilty Muslim. Either approach will not stop us from making du’a for them. But the former approach is rooted in fact while the other is rooted in emotion. There is a difference.

What knee-jerk/overly emotional type of Muslims must understand is that Islamic Law itself has reserved harsh punishments for Muslims if they engage in acts of corruption, or take innocent life, or engage in other acts of terrorism. This includes execution, chopping off hands and feet, and more. Why should we, as Muslims, then support such individuals if Islam doesn’t? Why exaggerate in our emotions? Why not use our minds more to understand the situation first?

And I say again: Prioritizing emotions over sound thinking is going to keep Muslims in their stagnant position. Cheerleading makes people feel belonged and happy, and certainly fulfills a strong psychological function. But it doesn’t do much more than that in the real world. It builds our bonds but keeps us aloof and confused about how to move matters forward on planet earth.

That’s why I think MM should choose articles that make Muslims think more than feel, or at least feel only after one thinks. Separating feelings from critical thinking will only hinder our collective intellectual capacity on the real issues. I’m afraid we see this all too often in MM.

While the court of law will decide Aafia’s innocence or guilt; circumstances indicate there is a sympathy or connection to terrorists. People do not go to Kandhahar and Kabul on vacation. hers is anothere xample where we take advantage of the comfort and freedoms provided by this country; at the same time work against it.

What an interesting contradiction – the courts will decide her innocence or guilt, and in the same sentence, you’ve already decided to pass a verdict of guilty based on shoddy logic – I have friends who have “vacationed” in Kabul for the purposes of visiting family as well as seeking marriage (and have since brought back wives and are living happily in America).

Secondly, that this country affords us more freedoms than our more corrupt muslim countries does not mean we allow them to have their way with us when they do decide to exercise some degree of corruption and injustice over us – in fact, because there is more justice in this system, we must exercise our rights and speak more vocally, not less so.

Thirdly, your post assumes that the American government is just and we as a people can leave the justice of our people in their hands – on the contrary, it is well known from western sources itself that many injustices have been and continue to be perpetuated in the name of the “War on Terror”, and this happened before 9/11 (before the War on Terror), it increased post-9/11, and if we take a subservient posture, showing that we will bow and accept everything the American government shovels at us, then they will take full advantage of that and this oppression will continue.

Finally, while we don’t expect our articles to affect the outcome of a trial, we do expect that we spread awareness of issues relevant to the Muslim Ummah, and where appropriate, galvanize them into legal and legitimate actions to help secure our rights in the future.

Let me introduce you all to a wonderful term given new life by the Internet: Troll.

A troll is some one who shows up on boards like these and for reasons of his (or her) own will attempt to dominate the discussion and control its direction. A troll always has to have the last word. A troll always has to be right. A troll will spend endless hours responding to any and all statements with the voice of authority.

There are two basic types of troll. The Iconoclast, from the ancient Greek for destroyer of icons. This is someone who doesn’t believe in anything and will argue any point from any perspective soley to see how many people he can irritate. I rather respect this sort of hubris when it is done well.

The second type of troll is a much lower form of life. He is the one who is hiding his direct interest in the outcome of debate.

There has been one writer here who has posted, by my count, twenty-five times on this article, not counting the ones he has added using other names (I count two aliases, but I may be missing a couple).

If you think that Aafia is guilty of collaborating with terrorists, that’s fine. Say your piece and move on. There is
no need to keep arguing with those who disagree with you and commending those who agree. Unless of course you have a horse in this race.

There aren’t too many horses in this race. There is Aafia’s family who want her to come home and her two missing children to be returned, and there are several national governments who would rather not have the rest of the world see their fingerprints on this case. And there is the family of Aafia’s ex-husband.

“If you think that Aafia is guilty of collaborating with terrorists, that’s fine.”

No, it’s not fine, because it contradicts everything I’ve said.

In spite of my many posts that you’re complaining about, it is unfortunate and even funny that you still don’t understand my perspective. And this, my friend, brings to light another type of troll that you missed — the troll who knowingly lies or is too emotional, unattentive, or intellectually bankrupt to understand the meaning of another’s argument. When this troll is unable to defend his/her argument with quality, this troll attacks the person instead or another dimension of the matter such as quantity (of posts). I’ve encountered such trolls more than once. Because these trolls foster distorted understandings and misinterpretations of others, they indirectly foster and nourish the presence of other trolls who attempt to correct their distortions. While complaining about other trolls, they forget that they are themselves to blame for their presence.

Nice try, but your ad hominem attack, digression from quality, and irrelevant discussion of quantity isn’t going to improve your argument. Just as you failed to support your initial argument, you fail just as much to understand mine. This is something only you can potentially solve — not me. Sorry.

And Mohammed Khan got the last word again, in guise of showing how intellectually superior and awsome he is. Andrew if you count how many times he has used word “I” and also how he has praised himself while having condescending tones for others.

I would not be surprised that he would reply again, given how much free time he has and how he must have last word, and not to forget how awsome and cool he is.

After reading Dr. Aafia’s case, where she’s been, and what she’s been through, it would illogical to not respond emotionally – we’re human beings, not automatons.

If we took the worst case scenario, that indeed she is guilty of every single crime she is accused of, this still does not mean what has occurred to her via the afghan, pakistani, and us intelligence agencies is justified – it is disproportionately unjust and should be brought to the fore, regardless of her own guilt or innocence.

That our brothers and sisters commit crimes does not mean they are not our brothers and sisters – when any in the Ummah hurts, then we react as one. It is sad that we have individuals among us with hidden partisan biases who veil them under the guise of rational argument.

And that’s assuming she’s committed a crime. What if she did not, as has been the case with many of our brothers and sisters who have been unjustly detained, raped, shot, waterboarded, and so on by American forces? So not only for emotional reasons (because of my love for my sister in Islam), but as well for rational reasons, we stand with our sister in Islam and against the United States government in this matter.

Why should I reflect when we have so awsome intellectual person like you to reflect, who in every reply uses difficult english words to show vocabulary superiority, like “ad hominem”, “ad nauseam”, “ad infinitum”.

Only in our ummah if we had all awsome cool persons like you, we would be great nation again.

Me personally don’t care what anybody thinks about my comments.
All Zionist media are lies.
Lies against Muslims, Lies against Allah
Lies against this woman

They take whom they will, with nobody to answer to

Didn’t know, but MEMRI-TV -(The middle east media research t.v) is owned by two jews and its based in Washington, what a farce!!
it’s the channel where islamic media is translated for the sake of english speaking individuals

‘MEMRI’s work has been attacked on three grounds: that their work is biased; that they choose articles to translate selectively so as to give an unrepresentative view of the media they are reporting on; and that their translations are sometimes inaccurate.MEMRI has responded to the attacks of critics, stating that their work is not biased; that they in fact choose representative articles from the Arab media that accurately reflect the opinions expressed, and that their translations are highly accurate. Its work has generated strong criticism and praise.’

“Does my religion determine whether I should be concerned about injustice?”

That’s a good question that only you can answer. I don’t know your religion or what you determine from it. What does justice mean in your religion — for Muslims?

“Aafia told her brother that she was worried about me because I am not a Muslim.”

So you’re not Muslim. That’s probably why Aafia was so worried about you. In Islam, non-Muslims who have heard the genuine call of Islam and reject it go to hell in the HereAfter. I share this concern too. Aren’t you afraid?

“Unlike some people, I have made it clear from the beginning which horse I
am riding. How about you, cowboy?”

You have made it clear only now that you are riding the unIslamic horse, and no other, “cowboy”. Why are you scared to tell us about your religion? We can have a nice, constructive discussion about our beliefs.

ever heard the saying – don’t argue with fools, because they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with their experience?

not that I’m calling anyone here a fool, but something to think about, ofcourse apart from praying for all the muslims and non-muslims who are in distress in all corners of the world and saying ‘Rabbana zalamna anfusanaa wa illam taghfirlanaa wa tarhamna, lanakoonanna minal qaasireen’ – a du’a from the Qur’an asking Allah Ta’Ala to shower his Mercy on us, and NOT give us what we deserve.

“Don’t argue with fools, because they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with their experience?”

I have only heard the first part before so JazakAllahu Khairan.

It is funny how the debate on responding is distracting from the issue the post covered…

What is VERY clear in Sister Aafia’s case is that there is no reasoning or excuse for how she has been treated if the claims against the US are true…

THAT is why we ALL need to support her, to find out what we can so that injustices like those mentioned (rape, torture, kidnapping etc…) are not committed in our name, with our dollars or on humans beings esp. Muslim women and children!

To juxtapose “lack of objectivity” against a Sis Afia’s account and sedulously avoiding to say she is certainly innocent is remorseless and anyone writing it as such cannot intend what their words imply. That to imply a sis Afia doesn’t deserve to be called innocent before we have an objective account of her case is simply a poor lingering. Common sense tells us you are innocent until proven guilty. The word Innocent is hardly ambiguous, and is valid by default for anyone not tried and found guilty under law.

We don’t need objectivity to claim sis Afia is innocent. There is no need for taking a neutral position or demand any serious evidence at this time. and…yea..ameen

Sorry, but you cannot know if she is “certainly innocent”. You weren’t there to see what she did and did not do (or did you?) so you certainly don’t know. Your conclusion is based on incomplete knowledge, and so it is premature, at best, in spite of your good intentions. Allah Knows Best what she did because Allah Sees and Knows everything. That has been my position and remains because it is the safest way to go. Though my hope is that Muslims in such situations are always innocent – even sister Aafia – I, nor anyone else in MM, can say that for sure. Not even you.

Make du’a for sister Aafia and hope to Allah that she is innocent. Unfortunately this hasn’t been the case for many Muslims who have been involved in unIslamic acts – like the infamous Osama bin Laden and the lunatic fringe of the Pakistani Taliban. I hope you don’t believe they are “certainly innocent” too.

I will ignore the thinly veiled smugness, and stick to the issue of her innocence. Though you get a brownie point to point out the word ‘certainly’ may be too much of stretch for our legally innocent sister.

Incomplete knowledge doesn’t prove she is not to be considered Innocent. This is a legal fact.

I want to very clear about how we ought to understand on where Ms. Afia’s case stands under international law. May be this will clear things up about her or any other individual charged with an alleged crime. This is critical in our discourse. That anyone who suggests someone is “NOT INNOCENT” until proven guilty has failed at understanding a basic application of international penal laws. You can disagree with a verdict, and the factual state of the person’s act doesn’t change. But we must consider that people are good, and therefore innocent until legally proven guilty. Please wikipedia this out as there is good material out there to see why she is by default, and legally innocent until proven guilty.

I will end my portion here quickly, and inshallah the sister knows that we pray for her, and will consider her innocent until she is found otherwise.

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 11, states: Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which they have had all the guarantees necessary for their defence.”

I understand your point but you’re not understanding mine. I think I’m just not explaining myself properly and I should probably apologize for that.

When I ask you now to explain a statement of yours, you will understand what I mean. Here it is:

“Though you get a brownie point to point out the word ‘certainly’ may be too much of stretch for our legally innocent sister.“

So, above you give me a brownie point. You say “certainly” innocent may be too much of a stretch for our “legally innocent” sister. This may sound like a contradiction to some because how can you not use “certainly” for someone who is certainly “legally innocent”? But it’s actually not a contradiction, as you well know.

Please explain to us why you think saying “certainly” innocent “may be too much” of a stretch at this time for sister Aafia? You will hopefully hit the nail on the head and understand what I have been trying to say all along.

Aafia was married only once, to Mohammed Amjad Khan, the father of their three children.

1) I have known Aafia and her brother and her sister and their mother for decades. I know this family well enough to know she would not remarry without consulting them, and if their had been a marriage, I would have known about it. She did not consult her family. There was no second
marriage.

2) During one of the brief visits she was allowed with her brother he asked
her if she had married anyone during her missing years. She said no.

“In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate/Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind/The King of Mankind/The God of Mankind/From the mischief of the whisperer of evil, who withdraws after his whisper/Who whispers into the hearts of Mankind/Among Jinns and among
Men.”

I would have sent this in the original Arabic but my computer has a problem with the script.

Thank you for your support for this sister whom very few of us know but all of us feel sympathy for..

I think its really, really sad (for our state) that you seem to understand Islamic principles of mercy, compassion, helping others, and thinking good of othres, far better than Mr. Muhammad Khan, who apparently doesn’t even know when to shut up and move on.

I was just curious because I was reading some articles on sister Aafia’s case and ran across Ammar al-Baluchi’s (a.k.a. Ali Abdul Aziz Ali) name in a few of them. The US government has apparently linked sister Aafia in some way to this individual who has been accused of terrorism. He is the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

What I’m very curious about is why the US government decided to pick on sister Aafia. Why would they go so far in making life miserable for her and her family? The US government must surely have a vested interest, or they wouldn’t put so much time into it. Any thoughts? The US government doesn’t just randomly pick on people. What was the main reason the US government picked on her that makes her different from the rest?

And take this note seriously: For angry and emotional Muslims in MM, you need to chill out and drink a cold glass of water. I am not implying anything by my questions, but just inquiring to know more about sister Aafia’s case – that’s all. You told me to read the stories and that’s what I’m doing. Let’s at least be tolerant as we discuss and inquire, and stop this mud-slinging and unIslamic language. I did not say she is guilty even if I think it is premature to say she is innocent. If you don’t agree with me, then please at least control your anger and tolerate a different view with respect. Unfortunately many here have been unable to do this so far. Please try. That would be much appreciated.

Akhi Mohammed, in essence I agree with your stance on this issue. I speak from a position which is perhaps unique on this forum having being on ”the inside”. And Allah knows best.

”But they are were our brothers” or so goes the qaul of Ali radiAllahu anhu when asked about the khawaarij. Make dua, Mohammed Khan, make dua for them, that Allah frees them from captivity and more importantly, frees them from this mindset of takfeer and bloodshed. Aameen.

And akh Muhammed, err on the side of the Muslims. It won’t go amiss, InshaAllah.

You raise an interesting point. The question of why is a huge issue. Almost as big as the question of where was Dr. Aafia from 2003 to 2008?

I believe that the answers to these questions will only come from a serious investigation of the facts by a credible party and vetted in a public forum.

I can tell you a few possibilities to the specific links and issues you brought up as I am about to post a follow up article on Dr. Aafia’s case.

Speculated reasons for interest in Aafia:

1) In Boston, Aafia was active in charities that helped Muslims in Bosnia. There has been A LOT of investigation of Bosnian groups and possible terrorism cells operating there. (Of course supporting a charity is not supporting terrorism and we all know, ALL too well the issues with that, even President Obama mentioned this dilemma in his Cairo Address)

2) If the US was using “enhanced interrogation techniques” someone may have linked her in distress – it is well documented that information given during such sessions may be inaccurate as people tend to say anything to stop the pain or fear…

3) As I posted above, I am very suspect of the husband’s motivations and I question if he was ever a point of interest in an investigation… he has “broken his silence” so many times and each time just before a major development in Aafia’s case it just seems fishy esp. after seeing his allegations of her family faking the photo to accuse him of abuse and Ridley’s interview with the Governor of Ghazni I posted above.

4) The links or associations are true and/or exaggerated. We all know about the rule of separation… In this global world we can all be linked to nearly anyone.

4a) To establish a profile of suspected terrorists that includes everyone possible (women and mothers).

No matter which of these or other possibilities are true, to find out there needs to be strong public pressure. This is where I feel that balance between supporting the accused and being responsible comes into play.

In cases where there is significant reason to believe that government’s action(s) may have been questionable, supporting the accused is often the only and/or most effective way to discover and/or combat possible government abuse(s).
Which brings me to my point: Supporting cases like this were Muslims have been accused is the right thing to do as it is not only supporting justice, it is helping prevent future wrongs. That remains true regardless of the outcome of the case.

Firstly, I know exactly who you are and why you spend so much time trolling all these websites along with the ubiquitous Bob and Margaret.

Secondly, we do not live in times where anyone can be impartial. I don’t recall anyone being impartial over Belsen or Auschwitz. There are times when you know something is badly wrong. If you are a fair and just person then you would be sympathetic towards the person who has suffered a grave injustice regardless of their faith.

You would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know that Dr Aafia Siddiqui was kidnapped and renditioned to Bagram, removed from her three children and abandoned for several years. The Judge knows this which is why he does not want to widen the brief and open the floodgates for scores of eyewitnesses to each stage of Dr Aafia’s kidnap, rendition and detention.

Furthermore, why would a Pakistani citizen suspected of committing a crime in Afghanistan be once again removed against her will and renditioned to face charges in New York?

It is quite obvious she is not guilty of any terrorist activity or she would have been charged … the FBI has had more than six years to nail this case down and has failed to do so.

I do not know Aafia Siddiqui, but I have met and interviewed the senior Afghan officials who were in the Ghazni police cell the moment Aafia was shot. Their testimony to me, on camera, is at complete odds with the official US statement.

Now then, who do I believe? The people who told us there were WMD in Iraq and then went on to launch an illegal war displacing three million people and killing hundreds of thousands of others? Or, do I believe some Afghan policemen who have nothing to gain or lose by telling exactly what happened that day?

You say Mohammed Khan that you would have made a good lawyer – well thank Allah (swt) you’re not representing Dr Aafia.

If you had an ounce of humanity you would not do the dirty work you do … and you’re not particularly good at that either, are you?

(1) No, you don’t know “exactly who” I am, so stop pretending you do. And who are “Bob” and “Margaret”?

(2) No, I never said I would make a “good” lawyer. I said I would “enjoy” being one for the reasons I explained to Amad. Here’s what I said:

“I am not a lawyer but I could have been one because I enjoy thinking, making a case, and debating. People may not agree with everything I say and I don’t expect them to.”

From the two points above, we learn:

-from (1): that you’re dishonest. You’re willing to lie to add strength to your argument by creating “facts” from thin air and falsely portraying them as authentic to your audience when they are not.

-from (2): that you don’t read the statements of others carefully and unintentionally misrepresent them – or, you read the statements of others carefully and deliberately misrepresent them.
Which one is it?

It goes without saying that the above questions your professional integrity and credibility as a “Journalist & film-maker”. If I’ve read this lack of integrity in a short message you’ve written to me, one can only wonder how much of your journalism and film-making really reflect the true facts.

But this isn’t surprising. Your life in journalism and otherwise has not been without controversy – and for good reason. You’re known for blurting out strange words, especially after your conversion to Islam. Your praise for the fanatic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri as being “quite sweet really” is well known. This is the radical cleric who said Hitler was born to teach the Jews a lesson, and that suicide bombings were permissible. Save your preaching about “Belsen or Auschwitz”.

Your support for the terrorist Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi is also well known. Of him, you said you would â€œrather put up with a brother like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi any day than have a traitor or sell-out for a father, son or grandfather.” This is sickening, to say the least. May I ask: Do you support Hakeemullah Mehsud and Osama bin Laden too?

In conclusion, you’ve demonstrated:

-dishonesty;
-crafting facts from thin air;
-misrepresenting my statements and position;
-a lack of credibility & integrity as a journalist and film-maker;
-and, last but not least, admiration for well-known fanatics who preach violence.

After this, do you really expect me to believe you about Dr. Aafia’s story?
What a joke.

salam
Mohammed, despite your own contentions about others using ad hominem attacks on you, your own comment is full of it. I agree others are doing it, but if you complain about it, then at least don’t do it yourself?

I would also like to ask you again… have you taken time out to research this case? If you haven’t, it would be more fruitful to do that than to speculate or argue.

I don’t consider Yvonne Ridley a trustworthy source after reading her post to me. She lied, made up things I never said, was insulting (at the end of her post), and has sympathized with terrorists and other fanatics. She deserves a harsh response.

Yes, I’m trying to understand the case. My position, however, is the same:
There are many details in this story that I don’t know, so I say that Allah Knows Best. If MM commentators want to continue to get angry at me for that, then so be it. I’m not a cheerleader for views I don’t agree with.

(iv) Why is Ammar al-Bulochi’s name associated with sister Aafia? If she didn’t marry him, did she have any other link to him?

(v) Why is sister Aafia’s ex-husband against her and why does his story about Aafia’s picture contradict what the Afghani said? Why do we trust the Afghani but not the ex-husband?

(vi) What is the evidence that sister Aafia was raped, or is this something her family is saying without evidence?

(vii) How can we be sure that Binyam Mohamed is right that he saw sister Aafia at Bagram while he was there? And can we deduce from this that she was in Bagram for the entirety of those ‘missing’ years?

(viii) How can we be so sure sister Aafia didn’t pick up the gun and shoot?

(ix) When sister Aafia was arrested by Afghan police, they said that bomb making documents, pictures of US buildings, etc. were found on her. Is this true?

(x) Why is sister Aafia being tried in New York when she allegedly committed crimes in Afghanistan?

(xi) Why of all Muslims would sister Aafia be put in this situation? In other words, what triggered or started this whole process? Was it links with terrorists? Something else? How does the US government benefit from this?

(xii) Assuming that sister Aafia was alive the whole time in Bagram during the ‘missing years’, why didn’t the US just kill her after they made her ‘disappear’? Keeping her alive would bring more problems for the US. If they went through the effort of making her disappear, why keep her alive? Was there a vested interest to keep her alive? If yes, what?

I’m reluctant to give an “innocent” verdict as many of us here have because of questions like that. I’m also reluctant to give a “guilty” verdict for the same reason.

To me, this case is not clear-cut as many of us have it. It definitely has more questions than answers. Somehow many readers on MM think they know all the answers about this case when they clearly don’t.

Mohammed Khan you pride yourself as being logical but you are anything but.

Your ad-homenim attack on Sister Yyvonne shows your true colours, you fail to address any of the issues she has raised regarding the case of Sister Aafia – at least she has done the first hand research which is much more than can be sad about you.

You pick on one statement of Sister Yvonne Ridley about you being you claiming to be a good laywer and call her dishonest because she has misrepresented your words.

I think she is right, you would not make a good lawyer – no one can understand what you are saying.

For example your lawyer statements:

“I am not a lawyer but I could have been one because I enjoy thinking, making a case, and debating.”

“No, I never said I would make a “good” lawyer. I said I would “enjoy” being one for the reasons I explained to Amad”

So either…

a) you think you would be a bad lawyer but would still “enjoy” being a bad lawyer.
b) or in reality you do think you could have been a good one but don’t want to say as it would make you look like arrogant.

If it is a) then that speaks volumes about your personality (i.e. you would enjoy something that you are bad at)
if it is b) then you are the dishonest one to argue with Sister Yvonne, as she picked up on what most people would have understood from your self-congratulatory nonsense.

“I am not a lawyer but I could have been one because I enjoy thinking, making a case, and debating.”

“No, I never said I would make a “good” lawyer. I said I would “enjoy” being one for the reasons I explained to Amad”

So far, you’re quoting my statements correctly and they are clear.

“So either…

a) you think you would be a bad lawyer but would still “enjoy” being a bad lawyer.
b) or in reality you do think you could have been a good one but don’t want to say as it would make you look like arrogant.”

That’s where your reasoning fails. You’re making conclusions from my statements that are completely irrelevant to whether I think I would make a “good” or “bad” lawyer. Let’s go back to what I said – that I “enjoy” doing things a lawyer normally does. Extrapolating any conclusion from this “enjoyment” statement alone to support your conclusions (a&b) above is pure fantasy.

Your fallacy is easier to understand in the following example. Is a cook who says he “enjoys” cooking because he likes doing what cooks do necessarily “good” at cooking? No. From this cook’s “enjoyment” of cooking statement, can we extrapolate anything else without additional information? No. But you did just that with my statements. Your poor reasoning would have us conclude that:

-the cook who says he enjoys cooking because he likes doing what cooks do:

a) thinks he would be a bad cook but would still “enjoy” being a bad cook.

b) thinks he could have been a good cook but he/she doesn’t want to say it because it would make him/her look arrogant.”

See the fantasy? Whatever else that follows from that is just as fantasical and irrelevant. It’s actually a good example of a non-sequitur. Unfortunately you’re pulling things out of the air just like Yvonne Ridley did in her two statements about me.

I suggest you “chill out” and read my posts more carefully before giving illogical responses like that.

Thanks for the reply, but you are digging yourself further into a hole with your poor reasoning.

You by your own words say that you could â€œcould have beenâ€ a lawyer, a profession that requires a degree of competence to practise.

Let me make this simpler for you to understand…

To take your cook example, who in their right mind would think they could be a chef simply on the basis that they enjoy cooking, they must believe they have certain qualities to be a chef, and if they donâ€™t have these qualities they would be a bad chef.

Now you quite clearly say you â€œcould have been a lawyerâ€ because you â€œenjoy thinking, making a case, and debating.â€ â€“ it is not me that has extrapolated the poor thinking that the enjoyment of a activity entails the ability to practise a profession it is you!

My original argument stands â€“ letâ€™s not beat around the bush, do you or do you not think you could have been a good lawyer? (this will put the matter to rest.)

Or alternatively, instead of all this lexical sophistry why donâ€™t find a positive to say rather than spending time casting aspersions on the honour of fellow Muslimahs, especially as those as well respected as Sister Yyvone and Sister Aafia.

Asalaamu Alaikum Brother? Actually Khan is a Muslim Like us and we have free speech here, he is as valid in his opinion as we are in ours.

BTW It’s American, which there is Nothing wrong with being American.

I know many awesome Muslims who are “American” if people, me; or anyone, disagree a simple ignoring him or politely agreeing to disagree would suffice. However asking him questions, arguing with him and insinuating evil things will only make him reply so if you truly do not want to read don’t ask him questions, don’t argue with him and don’t insult. Maybe his way may not be ours but we shouldn’t be mean to others.

The line about the box, the half finished tea, letters etc is so striking. May Allah give us taufeeq to be among those who remember death much in this life and fear jahanam much in this life so that we don’t have to do it on the youm ul qiyama.

bismillah. may Allah protect Dr. Aafia from the inhumanities the authorities inflict on her before so much as convicting her of any wrongdoing. i believe that she has already been so inhumanely treated that the government has lost even the moral standing on which to prosecute her further.

i have some advice to those who comment here. so far the lion’s share of the 100+ comments have been devoted to the few commentators who thrive on the attention they are given. denying them your replies would be better for everyone.

it is said that sometimes when you face your problems and issues head on, its easier to get rid of them…

…in this case, I say, lets ignore him, and he’ll eventually go away. The point of this article is to shed light upon the case, and not the idiot who keeps commenting. This tactic of his is inhibiting open dialog and it no longer feels like a free space to voice our opinions. There should be some sort of rule set in place by MM that when MOST bloggers feel disrespected, ignored, bothered or are not able to voice their opinions in fear of what others may do or how they may react back, that the person doing all the “bothering” should be banned from further commenting. Maybe cap it off at like 25 posts…even though thats wayyyy too many.

sorry to say but you sound like the wazir of fir’awn…………….when fir’awn asked his wazir or advisors what they thought of his wife Asiya…………..they said they only knew good of her ,,,,, then fir’awn informed them that she believed in Allah the Lord of Musa alayhissalam, so the same wazirs told fir’awn she ‘DESERVED’ to be tortured and killed.

I am Indian and have read too much about Dr. AAfia. For number of days & night I did not sleep. I am not able to get rid of thinking of aafia siddique . It looks to me that she is innocent but something is wrong at her husband part. Her husband Mr. Amjad Khan is constantly making false stories. He should keep quiet if not supporting aafia. Even FBI is not wrong. Something is surely wrong at husband side and their must be woman who has escaped. BUT SURELY AAFIA is innocent.

for some reason, after reading about this Brown Box, i feel strangely calm and serene. i know that dr aafia may or may not come back- it is only for Allah to decide- but i have this faith that the owner of the contents of the Brown Box will one day come home to her brother and reclaim what is hers.